Gilbert Stuart

Gilbert Stuart was the rockstar portraitist of the fledgling United States, the man who gave us the face of George Washington that graces the dollar bill. Born in a snuff mill, he was a self-willed boy who, rumor has it, could identify a disguised hangman as a mere babe. He honed his talents under various mentors, though some whisper his first lessons in sketching faces came from an enslaved man named Neptune Thurston. A brilliant conversationalist, Stuart was known for his wit and charm, which he used to capture the essence of his subjects. Despite his immense talent and success, painting six presidents and other prominent figures, he was perpetually broke due to his lavish lifestyle. He fled to Ireland to escape debt at one point and ultimately died in poverty, buried in an unmarked grave.